About us
Research and dissemination under one roof
The Centre for Regional History brings together historical research and dissemination activities under one roof. The research covers a broad spectrum and ranges from the early modern period to contemporary history. It is orientated towards modern historical standards and emphasises innovative regional history.
In addition to research, the dissemination of history is an important key area of activity. This is the focal point of the diverse programme of events, which is aimed at all those interested in history and includes initiatives in the field of historical education: Seminars, conferences and lectures on regional history.
From the university to the Provincial Museums
The Centre for Regional History was founded in 2013 as a temporary ‘Competence Centre for Regional History’ at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. Since then, the centre has successfully established itself in the South Tyrolean scientific, educational and cultural landscape. In the more than ten years of its existence, it has launched numerous research and educational initiatives and stimulated and enriched the discussion on regional history topics.
In January 2024, the centre was integrated into the Betrieb Landesmuseen (South Tyrol Provincial Museums Corporation). This will stabilise the Centre for Regional History in the long term and put it on a sustainable footing. It is also expanding and intensifying its activities in all areas.
Mission
Research at the Centre is based on the principles of modern regional history. It stands for an unbiased view of historical developments based on the latest historical standards. For us, this means always being open to methodological innovation, interdisciplinary co-operation and new subject areas. The aim is not to view the history of regions – however defined – in isolation, but to analyse and scrutinise them from a comparative and interrelated historical perspective.
In our understanding, regional history is based on four central principles that we heed in our research and dissemination activities:
Our approaches to regional history are diverse and open in terms of content, methodology and projects. In addition to basic research and recourse to proven historical approaches, we also aim to contribute to methodological and thematic innovation in regional history research.
Not only openness to new developments in the historical sciences, but also openness towards other fields of knowledge is a matter of course in modern regional history. This is why we actively seek co-operation and discussion with other subjects and disciplines.
Regional historical research gains in overarching relevance primarily through its comparative perspective – according to the motto ‘Researching the small, searching for he big’. To look at the history of Tyrol, South Tyrol and Trentino from a more inter- or trans-regional perspective is a central challenge for us. Modern comparative and interrelated historical approaches are therefore of particular concern to us.
High-quality research is the basic prerequisite for a correspondingly competent dissemination of history. We see our core competence not only in the actual research, but also in the dissemination of history to a broader, historically interested public. Research and dissemination are equally important to us and enrich each other.
Research areas
Team
Former team members
Karlo Ruzicic-Kessler
Joachim Gatterer
Andrea Di Michele
Florian Huber
Scientific Advisory Board
-
Laurence Cole
Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg
-
Francesco Frizzera
Museo storico italiano della guerra, Rovereto
-
Ruth Nattermann
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
-
Werner Pescosta
Istitut Ladin „Micurá de Rü“
-
Elisabeth Tauber
Freie Universität Bozen